


Damsel

by Mithen



Category: DCU Animated
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Rescue, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-07
Updated: 2010-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-10 23:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/105725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/pseuds/Mithen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Selina Kyle is no damsel in distress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damsel

The city was whirling around her, a blur of lights as she fell. Selina reached for her whip instinctively and found only silk and velvet. _Stupid, stupid_, she cursed herself. _In the wrong place at the wrong time_. She'd been mingling at a rooftop garden party when Killer Croc had decided to rob it. He'd taken a shine to her and pawed at her. She'd slapped him without thinking, expecting he would take a swing at her and she could find a way to knock him out "by accident."

Instead he had simply picked her up and hurled her off the roof.

She looked for a flagpole, a wire, _something,_ and found none. There was a tree below her, it could break her fall a little if she--

And then suddenly the breath was knocked out of her as a body slammed into her, catching her out of the air and swooping onto a dizzying new trajectory.

She struggled to get air into her lungs as she registered leather and kevlar pressed against her. Of course, the Bat had snatched her from the air before she could have a chance to land on her feet, she thought sardonically. She leaned in to purr something into his ear and was interrupted by her billowing silk skirts catching the air, making a rippling roaring noise that reminded her abruptly that she was _not_ Catwoman right now, she was Selina Kyle. Did Batman even know that he'd just saved his enemy? Or was she just another Gotham damsel in distress? Somehow the thought irked her as Batman came to rest on a rooftop, placing her feet carefully on the ground.

"Are you all right, miss?" His voice was level and impersonal, with none of the sarcastic edge he saved for Catwoman.

Her hair was a wild, windswept tangle and her dress in disarray; Selina yearned keenly for the sleekness and control of her costume as she smoothed her hair a little. "Oh my," she breathed as if she didn't sail over the rooftops on her own power all the time, "That was so...exciting. How can I _ever_ show my gratitude for saving my life?"

His face remained impassive as she leaned against him as if her knees were weak. Maybe his guard would be down and she could get away with one of his delightful little toys without him noticing...

One leather-clad hand brushed along her jawline as he tilted her head up to meet his eyes. Then it slid downward to come to rest on her shoulder, on the skin revealed by her low neckline.

It was surprisingly warm against her bare skin. One thumb moved against her clavicle, a movement that should have been too miniscule for her to feel. Selina was suddenly acutely aware of her bare shoulders, her unmasked face and unbound hair. She felt oddly vulnerable, off-guard. He wasn't supposed to see her like this, unarmored, undisguised. His other hand came to rest on the curve of her hip with a soft whispering noise as silk crumpled between his fingers. For a moment, her hand stopped exploring his utility belt and merely moved along his back, warm and broad. His breath was faster than it should be, and hers wasn't exactly steady. She swayed forward, trying to tell herself she was still playing the ingenue. His lips were very close...

And then she felt the kevlar against her silk and the reminder of their current inequality caused her eyes to snap and her mouth to set in a thin line for an instant. She smoothed the expression away hastily, but Batman chuckled and pulled away, and the moment was gone. "No offense, miss," he murmured. "But I'm not available. At least...I don't think I am," he added with a wry twist to his voice.

And then he was gone in a flutter of shadows.

Selina looked after him, then belatedly thought to take stock of her surroundings. As she did, exasperated laughter started to bubble in her throat.

He'd abandoned her on top of a building with no fire escapes or obvious means of descent.

"Oh, you're damn right you're not available," she muttered to the Gotham darkness as she kicked off her heels and prepared to leap into the night, skirts and all.


End file.
